Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a non-violent movement for equal rights and social justice in the United States. He dedicated his life to the cause and played a huge role in ending segregation. Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. Here are a few facts about him:

Today we celebrate his birthday. While his birthday falls on January 15th, MLK day is always observed on a Monday. Only two other people have their birthdays observed as national holidays. They are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

His name was not originally Martin. Although his father had his name and his son's name changed when he was just 5, he was actually born Michael Luther King.

Martin was only 15 when he started college. He got a degree in sociology and later received his doctorate in theology.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all 50 states in 2000. However, celebrations in his honor began almost immediately after his death.

Stevie Wonder wrote the song Happy Birthday for King Jr. He did this to help pass a bill to honor him that had initially failed.

Martin Luther King Jr. was not led to become a minister until he was in college. He didn't initially plan on following in his father's footsteps.